Latest news

Proposals for the move were approved by Cabinet on Wednesday (12 April), and are expected to be introduced in August this year.

Currently, the Borough Council recycles about 18 per cent of its waste through its fortnightly brown lid bin service.

This service requires around 63,000 householders to place recyclable paper in a caddy which sits inside a larger wheelie bin for all other dry recyclables, such as glass and cans. These are then separated by waste contractors.

Cabinet has now agreed to move to a system where householders that have doorstep collections would need to co-mingle all recyclables into a wheelie bin, which will continue to be collected every other week with residual waste.

The change was agreed after Cabinet heard how neighbouring boroughs in Warwickshire have already made the move.

Nuneaton and Bedworth currently has the lowest recycling rates in the county. Analysis of black bin waste shows more recycling could be possible, and feedback from residents in a 2021 survey suggested the paper caddy was unpopular as it was not believed to be big enough by many.  

Cllr Sue Markham, Portfolio Holder for Public Services, said:

“We’ve taken huge strides forward to improve recycling, but it’s clear that we must make some big changes now if we want to further increase recycling rates.

"Introducing co-mingled mixed recycling will make the system much more straightforward for residents and will help us reduce costs, save time and boost recycling rates. 
  
“I’m pleased we’ve agreed these plans to make recycling easier because we must make fundamental changes to the system if we are going to further increase recycling rates.”

The move comes after local authorities in Warwickshire joined forces with neighbouring Coventry to invest in a new high-tech materials recovery facility in Whitley, which speeds up the sorting of waste and can recycle a wider range of materials.